Raven, before he left to get the others, had shifted her, as per her soft request. Beneath her back, neck and head were pillows that elevating her upper body so she could talk with everyone without them surrounding her bed so closely so she could see them. She feared being suffocated by their goodwill. That and being surrounded again, and while they weren't walls, it still made her remember her last moments before plunging into the water. Besides, she didn't want to disturb Elsword. She had left him where he was; a bit too close to her lap, but she didn't mind.

Aisha couldn't help the smile that rested upon her gentle expression as she played with Elsword's red locks. In some places, it was a deep dark maroon; in one place just behind the right ear, there was complete blackening. It was as likened to the red gold that flowed through all their veins as it was spiky, messy and as "Elsword-y" as ever.

'Silky too...'

She combed his bangs back.

She knew what he hid. He told her when Rena had decided a punishment was an order due to their constant bickering. And so, the fearsome Elf tied their wrists together with "an ancient Elven artifact": a green vine that glowed a soft gold. It would only loosen if its two captives came to a mutual understanding of one another. For all her knowledge, she hadn't come up with a way to prematurely break the curse. 'It took a day for me to give up...' A sheepish laugh left her. Usually, she was more stubborn.

While she wasn't sure what the boy had learned about her, something had changed in his demeanor. They decided to just sit and reach that "mutual understanding."

Gingerly, her fingers brushed the smooth discolored tissue.

Even after his death, Berthe still haunted Elsword in the forms of phantom pains and emotional distress. For all his bravery, arrogance, and strength, his first meeting with the fearsome demon commander instilled two quests upon his flimsy shoulders. The first one was the most obvious: he was to investigate how and why the demons were in Ruben, which evolved to encompass all of Elrios. The second quest, dubbed as "Defeat Berthe," was one he had completed—in part. He defeated Berthe. Yet, Elsword even confessed to her that the fear imparted onto him hadn't been forgotten. Berthe still lingered.

That all, however, was countered by his stupid heroic mindset. At 13, he was willing to die, if it meant slowing down the demon almost four times his meager height (she blissfully sighed, remembering how she would tease him), no matter how meager of a difference. To him, every second counted, even if his only goal at the time hadn't been met. It still hasn't, not that she knew of.

The person named "Elesis" wasn't the sister he had so fondly spoken of.

She shook her head. 'What do I know?' For now, she'd assume not, even despite her only increasing hatred for that woman.

At 13, all she wanted was to do was making her family proud by regaining her stolen powers and bringing her family heirloom back. All so she could become a Great Sage. She had come to learn titles were meaningless. She wasn't satisfied even the family who she sought praise from were…

She was not willing to give up her life. Sure, to be a mage was a path ridden with life and death, but she was ignorant to how close her dance with death would be. Knowing isn't the same as experiencing, after all.

However, a boy almost two years her junior had come to understand his life for anoth—for many others, was more than worth than living another day to fight. He's selfless like that...

The last mission imparted to him by the experience was that he needed to save others. After confronting the demon, the redheaded boy was defeated in an instant. However, instead of facing a crushing defeat, the demon retreated. His forehead bled, his head spun and his body was starting to shut off. His survival, after all, was but a fluke. For all the grandiose version stories of the fight—most of which were spun by him—it only sunk and covered his true feelings over the eye-opening experience deep within his heart. He wasn't as honest with himself as he was with his thoughts, sadly.

And yet, like her and others around him, he was tiring—perhaps, the most. Or perhaps just as much. Well, not as much as herself, at least. Her problems and goals were vastly different from the rest of the group. To her, her own goals still weren't as selfless or honest.

And then, there was that whole matter between him and his sister, who always arrived too late to help with the storming of the bridge.

Something changed this last time...

She shook her head, lightly, mustering a smile. Unlike the young man before her, she wouldn't dwell into the past but she wouldn't forget.

Her smile widened slightly. Besides, he looked a better this way. She could imagine him with his hair back, the scar marring his forehead, his eyes and lips smiling. Sure, every once and a while, he'd have his "cool" moment—

Furiously, she shook her head.

Her smile sank until it distorted into her infamous small sad smile. She couldn't fool herself.

She shouldn't be moving in her stressed and weakened state. Her mind was still reeling from the experiencing the powers and effects of time and space—dimensional magic, a type of ultimate magic.

It bounded two separate strains of magic together. Instead of limiting a magician's power at the immense stress of two magics—like the realm of "normal" magic such as branches of elemental magic and invoking the Laws of the World to bend and distort—it tore the limit off. Time and space, incomprehensible to those who lack dimensional understanding, were dependent of one another. If anything, it was harder to change one while the other remained still. In some cases, it was impossible. In many cases, the time and space magics intertwined with one another to the point where changing one without the other was simply nonsensical and counterproductive.

However, to grow mad with power was a near absolute prospect for two reasons. The most forward reason was that it was almost near limitless power. With that said, absolute power corrupts absolutely. The second reason came in torture. Why wouldn't a person with limitless power not conform the world into their own ideals with unlimited retries? Falling to temptation with changing past, while innocent, was devastating, but there was always trying again and again. And again, again.

Again.
And ag-

She forced herself calm before she started hyperventilating in remembrance. She had already experienced both "bad ends," and got off lucky.

It was a miracle. The arrow that had broken the luscious time barrier she chanted within, barely missed a vital organ, striking a lung, and had lost most of its power after breaking said barrier. That power loss had saved her. Although, the fall from where she floated above the water was sure to kill her. Even if she didn't drown, being in a comatose state would be close enough to scar her the same way as if death had touched her.

Before that, she had undergone the scenario for the first time. Raven had blown up himself alongside the bridge, acknowledging what he called expendability.

Then twice, preventing Raven's sacrifice. Eve's core- Eve's human heart had failed.

That twice became three and Eve was alive next to Raven. Chung… confessed to being the best bomb he's made...

Too busy fretting over the past, she forgot about the others, and watched them slip away. Time couldn't return the soul. Space couldn't drag it back. The knowledge she gained from self-discipline wasn't sufficient, even with almost all the time in the world. To her, her mana container was to blame. It wasn't enough.

It had to be something wrong with her, after all.

And so, with God-like power, she never felt so powerless before.

...She couldn't bring herself to die until she watched everyone else first.

Unlike Elsword, she had only driven herself so far because she had the power and knowledge to stop the siege of the Velder Bridge. Where her friends— her family stood behind the gates, yelling for her to stop, like she had done on multiple occasions in failure.

Like Elsword against Berthe, she had steeled herself for her own death. She rushed off against her leader's orders, ready to throw every bit of mana she carried—that included the magnificent amount stored within her near royal blood—to snap them out of existence. And she had nearly done so.

She could remember distinctively how close she had been, how her blood began to literally burn and boil within her, how her memories began to flash in the split-second before her last few mystic words.

She wasn't as selfless as he or the rest of the group.

'Selfless… or self-sacrificing?'

Nonetheless, she didn't belong.

A wet sensation over her trembling hand brought her back to reality. Elsword was crying a little in his sleep. She's only seen him cry once before. He had matured a lot through their journey, despite his rebellious personality. He was less rash, stubborn and much more like the leader he wished to be—like the leader she knew he could be. Although, his confidence could do a little shaving, to say the least.

'I sound like one of my aunt's recalling the past…' She stifled the bells in her throat with a smile.

Neither of them would expect him to evolve into a young man who would come to embody a sword in almost every way. He was sharp in ways that still stump her (despite his bedrock denseness). He served two purposes: fulfill his given mission and protect his comrades. He served them more than satisfactorily. She'd never tell him. Not yet anyway… even if she could simply revert the world just a little, so she could see his reaction… But that was cheating.

A giggle bubbled in her throat as she realized she was mindlessly playing with Elsword's spikes alongside her thoughts. He didn't let anyone touch his hair—except for Raven for a reason she still couldn't understand.

The idiot must be out like a snuffled candle fire if he didn't react to all my caressing—

She flushed. Her word choice was rather intimate.

"—Oh?" A certain Elf couldn't help but slip a noise of astonishment from her lips. Archer had caught the Witch with her hand in the cookie jar that was the Dark Knight's mane. She couldn't afford to give the blasted Elf anymore strange ideas!

And so, Aisha misunderstood the noise.

"H-He just kinda passed out here."

"I see." The greenette's demeanor stiffen, withdrawing interest. "For what it's worth, Aisha… I'm mostly glad you woke up." She moved to prepare some herbs and allowed herself to hum.

Rena had effectively killed the conversation.

Those words sucker-punched the mage. She didn't know what to say. 'Mostly glad?' Surely, there was no bad intention in the Elf's words… right? Her hand twitched as she resisted the overwhelming urge to replace her hand upon Elsword's hair was overwhelming. However, she was much too stubborn to seek such intimate comfort in front of others.

I haven't been paying much attention...

Rena was weird. Becoming a Nightwatcher had slowly changed her to become something she wasn't. So much in fact that the Rena that sang, laughed and smiled was rarely ever present. Aisha couldn't fathom why. She couldn't recall anything that hasn't hinted at the change. She couldn't recall anything that'd change her so much.

...Is she planning on leaving?

Dread swallowed her. There was no way—not after all of this.

The people that surrounded her, she could barely recognize in some ways. Many of which weren't simply negative either. Raven, for example, embraced Nasod technology, otherwise his bane, to aim his rage to—ok, it wasn't that great of an example. Nonetheless, in all the negativity, there was a silver lining. Not everything was dark, dreary or, the El Lords forbid, edgy…

She felt the need to glare at the bo—man before her.

The door clicked closed.

"H—" She coughed, "Hey Eve!" The post-coma patient pushed her thoughts away, playing off the rasp in her throat. I must reassure them that I'm just tired! There was no space for bad thoughts, not at a time such as this.

She wasn't weak.

The Nasod's expression gave no perceivable emotion, "Hello Aisha." Walking up to the opposite side of Elsword, she scanned the tired young woman.

"I-" Rena's hum disappeared. "I'm totally fine now—"

…Raven and Chung entered, only to hear a slap then deafening silence. It wasn't hard, overly red or loud. It has just enough force that it was essentially nonexistent compared to the emotional aspect of the action.

"E-Eve?"

"Nine percent." The pale robot paused, as if expecting a question. "Nine percent chance to recover and use magic again." Aisha didn't give a response. "Twenty-five percent chance to wake up under a month as your ruined mana veins try to return even twenty percent of their usual strength." She looked away. "You were beyond idiotic." Her true feelings didn't go unheard.

The appointed girl looked down, slowly drawing her hand from the rebellious mane. "I—" Her voice cracked. She heard movement before a gentle hand tapped her exposed shoulder.

Chung gave her an innocent smile, "Here." It widened to see her gulp down the water in such a vigor, she almost choked in realization. "Welcome back, Aisha."

At least one of us doesn't look so grim…

"Thanks, Chung." She tried to sound cheerful before she glanced to Raven, who gave a slight smile before pulling out a book. Hanging out from within was the string of her cherished pendant.

"Since you'll be bedridden for a while."

"T-Thanks again."

All the attention was getting to her. She shouldn't be awake, but she wanted to so desperately tell them, a certain redhead especially, that she'd be fine.

Don't worry please…

Her head swayed, as her eyes became unfocused. The pounding in the back of her head finally reached an ultimate state of being: omnipresent.

"Aisha?"

Her hand clenched against another's but she released them a moment later.

Darn his groggy voice...

"You don't look so good, Aisha."

Stupid Captain Obvious—I'm fine, Stupid...

His hand squeezed back before it left.

- [:| Break |:] -

Elsword broke the silence. "I'm going to check up on Sis." With that, he made his way towards the door.

Eve turned, following in step, "I shall come along." The redhead didn't say anything as he held the door open for her. And so, silence returned.

Only after a few minutes of fiddling with various utensils while her hands glowed, Rena spoke up from the far end of the room, "I got it from here, guys."

"You sure?" Chung removed the book from Aisha's person, placing it on the nightstand.

"...I'm changing her clothes."

Chung choked. "I-I'll leave you too it then!" From the looks of it, the boy wasn't sure whether to run or walk away. He assumed Raven would be leaving too.

The last occupant besides herself, Raven, turned to her. "...Yes?"

She stifled a small laugh. "We're not going out tonight?" The Elf placed the clothes down, and moved to fill a basin.

He huffed, "Don't word it like that."

She dipped a towel within the basin with a smile spilled across her teasing expression, "That wasn't a yes or no." Around him, she couldn't help but let go. Something about him forced it out of her.

Even if after all those years...

"Yes, we're not going to murder anyone in the dark of night."

"S-Sorry." She knew he didn't mean to strike a sore spot. "You think... they'll hate us if they find out?"

He sent her a glance. "You worry too much." Those words towered over her. At the same time, she knew he was apologizing, silently. It was more-or-less his fault that she was dragged in, or so he thought. Nothing she could say would make him think otherwise. "Try not to eavesdrop tonight."

She pouted but couldn't hear him leave.

'I still can't figure out how he can do that with such a clunky arm...'

He wasn't wrong. Only he could figure out how much it hurt her to see Aish—the group so distressed, so broken. "I- I'm not a child anymore..." She knew she shouldn't be emotional, shouldn't be blaming herself, shouldn't be crying, even if out of relief.

Children don't kil—murder for the greater good.

Her feet carried her to Aisha's side. Her hands glided over Aisha's face, before brushing her messy hair away from her forehead. A small whisper ghosted into the room, "I'm so glad..." Then, a wet towel met Aisha's virgin skin. A part of her would still prefer the world didn't require the sacrifices of children, no matter how idealistic.

A part of her knew that part of the world wouldn't ever change.

She left with a blessing humming in the air. Seeing and feeling the limp in her step, she looked both ways out the doorway, before drudging herself to Elesis' room.

'I hope you can forgive me for lying once more, Chung... Krav—Raven.'

She would never tell him. She has always been a liar—always was, always will be. What was another hundred years after all?

- [:| Break |:] -

"No change?"

Eve blinked and turned towards the standing redhead. "You overestimate medical science and the power of Dark El." Again, her eyes went unfocused as she stared off into space.

'Could've just said you don't know yet.' Elsword frowned slightly before he knelt at his sister's bedside. 'One up, one to go...'

Every so often, she'd twitch and the "shadows" on her arm would flare, retracting to their resting state—just as the twitch returned. He took her hand and the shadows reacted immediately. Crawling down from her body, they sought his body through the physical contact. And, he'd let it. Anything to relieve her burden, anything to repay her, '...anything for the person who raised him but ran out on him like the ones who should've.'

With that thought as a trigger, more sinister thoughts tore out from the depths of his heart, as the shadows sought to devour his being. However, they failed as a metaphysical purple hand grabbed him.

"El- Elsword?" He swore it was his sister's voice... from years ago. "Elsword!"

"...Aisha?"

"Who else, you buffoon?"

"I-I," his voiced cracked, "I can't see." However, he was thankful for the fact he wasn't alone.

Her voice was one of bewilderment. "O-Oh." Soon after, a pressure turned him. "...Y-You're," Giggles spilled from her lips, "such a big baby! Open your eyes!" With a "boop!" to his nose, he could feel his face. That also made him realize he couldn't feel anything else.

He focused on it, forcing himself to blink. It didn't work. He tried to force his eyelids open. It didn't work. He tried—

"It's okay." Aisha's voice was so close. "It's okay." A pressure moved him again. He felt like... he was sitting. Something so mundane felt like he was experiencing it for the first time in a totally new fashion all together. "I've never seen blind eyes so blue." A giggle echoed in the silence he finally noticed after all his panicking.

He couldn't help but ask, "where are we?"

There was a pause.

"I don't know, but it's okay." He didn't voice his thoughts—or rather, he didn't need to. "I don't know much else either." He felt the lie but didn't say anything. There must be some reason for the lie after all. "Sorry." She didn't elaborate. "But, you shouldn't be here."

I love you.
I love you.

"Y-You need to leave this dream."

I lo—
"Go- Go already!"

He could feel the embarrassment filling them both. 'A dream, huh?' Then again, Aisha wouldn't dare be that cute, "booping" his nose and all... It didn't help that she was only wearing a thin nightie and undergarments. Although, he wasn't sure how he knew but his imagination was more than enough.

'Damn my hormones...'

'By the forsaken El, I wish he could just confess,' she thought as he faded away.

Gasping for air in his Nasod prison unsuccessfully, Elsword's bloodshot eyes flashed open in panic. He matched the calculating calm eyes of Eve before he crumpled to the floor, released. "What's your," he gulped for air, "fucking problem!"

Eve flinched, before irritation radiated from her being, but her voice conveyed none of it. "I was protecting myself," she gestured to the surroundings, "and your sister."

He took in his surroundings. Conwell was hanging from the ceiling. Traces of swords and battle littered everywhere but Elesis' bed and Eve's general vicinity. To one side of Eve, there was Oberon; on the other, a severely injured Ophelia, clutching an arm that was severed and battered as if used as a blunt object—one not unlike a bat—against Elsword's barrage.

He went to apologize, only for the door to slam open by Rena. Following her was Raven, who rushed in with just a towel on. Both of which were battled-equipped.

"By the El, you're fast—a towel?!" Raven simply grunted. "Right, right. What happened?" Rena's tone matched the authority of a War General. It was no misconception that Rena was technically the leader of the group. Elsword was more of the figurehead—their public speaker and commander (hard to imagine sometimes) when given extra forces.

"T- It was my fault."

Looking to Eve, who simply nodded in what Rena could only imagine as shock, Rena frowned. People like Elsword don't just lose control... Although, given his growing affinity with Dark El, it was bound to happen. In all her lives, she's never seen anyone overcome Dark El. It was simply too negative for anyone, including demons. Legends such as Elesis were a fine example how even the mightiest could fall in their prime; never mind the examples in her "past" lives.

However, they needed it. It was too powerful to not go left unused.

But, why now?

Rena was so lost in her thoughts she didn't notice Raven assisting Ophelia as Oberon tidied the place, and the other two fellows stared awkwardly at her. Well, technically just one, but Rena would always imagine Eve as a normal girl. A girl can dream... So can Eve... right?

Her gaze removed itself from Eve, "Elsword, let's talk."

"Eh," the said young man looked to Raven, who shrugged in turn, "okay."

They left.

'...She needs to stop leaving me alone with herself or otherwise.' Raven glanced to Eve, before being promptly ignored by said girl. Instead of sighing, he said, "We can talk now, if 1AM is... inconvenient." If she agreed to talk now, it was a plus as he would be able to sneak in the night. Either way, Raven would put his comrades, no—frien— family before anything else.

"It was inconvenient and something forced upon me."

She didn't say she wasn't going to go.

He glanced away from her. "I can just forget about all of that, if you'd like."

"Raven." They matched eyes. "You forget nothing." There was a lack of reaction and her irritation grew, changing her approach. "Do not assume only you know of your late night missions with Rena." Still, nothing came from the war veteran as he replaced a splintered chair. "I-" She stopped herself. Rena's secret wasn't hers to share, but the thought reminded her of something else. "You sleep dreamless nights, if you can."

There was the flinch she was looking for.

"I am the one who puts the blanket over you as and made sure you didn't get robbed in the forest while you sleep- or worse!" Her facade shattered, and frustration broke the dam while an unseen fury laced her voice. "Rena asked me to. I did it for her, not for you." Her right hand twitched. "I hate you."

"I put on a show and never allowed it break. I did everything in my power to convince everyone." Her eyes glared spitefully, "Suddenly, hearing a beating heart from a person who you deemed shouldn't be trusted made you think rationally?" Her hands became fists. "Eve is dead; died centuries ago. She, my best friend, gave her life for me. To repay it, I, an immortal sovereign princess, took her throne and mantle, running away from my own country."

"And you dared to spit on her."

"E—"

Her wings boomed to life.

"Be quiet!" Venom laced her near whisper. "She taught me compassion, taught me how to be a leader, how to be better, to be human." Her fists dropped, feeling very much drained. "I don't think I want to be that anymore."

Elesis rose from the bed, audibly, causing them to freeze.

She glanced to her shoulder, watching her loose shirt dip pass her now exposed shoulder, "Quite funny with your human appearance, human mistake, your childish words of a little human girl." She finally turned towards them, "You are a girl who tried to be something you're not for too long. Who's to fault?" She blew a strand of hair, absently. "Maybe your parents..."

"You never grew up, even if you thought you did." Her lazy but unsettling eyes analyzed the both of them. "Stubborn to the bone, kept to yourself, conforming to an image." She sighed, "Not like I can say anything." The blanket slid down to her lap. "Grow up or get out the way."

She removed the blanket from herself.

"And you." Raven's claw caught knife of sinful making. "I recognize you now." Her eyes narrowed as the bloodied knife evaporated. "You made Dad leave... leave, leave… leave." Her eyes wandered, until she got a great idea. "You need to leave too, okay?"

Raven's claw glowed blue in preparation.

As if that was a trigger, the room exploded in forbidden magic and untamed fire with Eve caught in the crossfire.

Aes: Well, honestly, even after allowing a bunch of people read over this for me, I'm still not satisfied. Nonetheless, thanks a bunch, Luna (I'm calling ye out) and others!
Is there any confusion?

As always, I wish you all a nice day. See ya.